There's not much better than sharing delicious KFC chicken – except the chance to share it with community members in need. That's exactly what the Apex KFC team did Oct. 23, opening their hearts and restaurant to distribute more than 10,000 two-piece meals to the people of Wilkinsburg, PA.

This KFC "Day of Giving" came as part of what's become an annual tradition for KFC franchisee Tabbassum Mumtaz, who stages the community outreach events in conjunction with the Apex Family Foundation. Since 2011, thousands of meals have been shared in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Chicago as part of this local hunger-relief effort.

This year, Apex set its sights on helping a community outside Pittsburgh. In the two weeks leading up to the event, Team Wilkinsburg shared details with customers, asking them to help spread the word about the "Day of Giving." They created quite a buzz: on the day of the event, approximately 3,500 KFC guests were lined up outside the restaurant by 11 a.m., with the line remaining about three blocks long and three to four people wide for most of the morning.

Serving these guests was a true team effort. KFC team members from 14 restaurants across Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia came together to cook, pack and hand out the thousands of meals, even making 400 special deliveries to elderly and home-bound individuals unable to travel to the event. Throughout the day, the operations team helped keep four walk-up lines and a drive-thru line moving.

Wilkinsburg Mayor John Thompson, who attended the event for the full day, offered a heartfelt thank you to the team, saying "KFC has set an example of giving back that the community will never forget."

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